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The most famous things that the Ancient Egyptians are
known for are their pyramids. They built two kinds of pyramids - step pyramids
and "true" pyramids. Look at the pictures below. Can you tell which is
a step pyramid and which is a true pyramid?
Why did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids?
Pyramids were built in Ancient Egypt as tombs, or burial places, for Egyptian pharaohs, or kings. The Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife, so it was very important to them to protect the bodies of their pharaohs. In order to keep the body of the pharaoh safe, the insides of the pyramids were like mazes with secret doors and dead-end passages. The pharaoh would be near the bottom or even underground. Other rooms contained things like jewelry and furniture that the pharaoh might want in his next life.
How did they make them so big?
In Ancient Egypt, there were no tools to build with
or trucks to move things with. The Egyptians had to use their hands to
make big blocks out of different kinds of sand, clay, and stone. After
they made the blocks, they pulled them up big ramps onto the pyramid.
The largest pyramid ever built was over 450 feet high!!
It is called Khufu, but most people just call it the Great Pyramid. It
is taller than the Statue of Liberty!! Take a look...
The pyramids are the last wonder of the ancient world
- the only ones that haven't been destroyed by time. We can learn a lot
about the Ancient Egyptians from what we find in the pyramids.
What have you learned?
